


Let the Bodies hit the floor

by Kellygirl



Category: The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: Apocalypse, M/M, Multi, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-16
Updated: 2012-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-29 15:40:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kellygirl/pseuds/Kellygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In every possible outcome to this plague, Jensen never anticipated actually having to live in a zombie movie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let the Bodies hit the floor

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the first round(and wow am I late!) of the Losers Mini-bang.
> 
> Thanks go to Cougars_Catnip for the beta skills and to my nightly chatty peeps for listening to me yammer about this for over a year and helping me identify some of the guns used in the movie.

The smell was the worse, and that was saying something. The smell of recently dead or bodies that had been dead awhile didn’t bother him. He’d smelled that before, as well as bodies that had been burned. Bodies riddled with disease didn’t faze him but this, this was some strange miasma of all of those smells and more.

In every possible outcome to this plague, Jensen never anticipated actually having to live in a fucking zombie movie. He aimed and shot another revenant. The bullet tore into its lower face and Jensen cursed, knowing it would continue trying to kill and eat some dumb ass who couldn’t get off the streets. Head shots that hit the brain worked as well as making sure the head was completely severed from the body.

The truck swerved and he made sure his foot was caught firmly on something inside the vehicle. If he got thrown out, he was toast. He shot another zombie and this time the bullet hit its mark and the head exploded. Jensen tried not to think about the bloody meter maid outfit the thing had been wearing. It wasn’t a person anymore and he had to keep believing that or he‘d go crazy.

There was a roar behind him and the military grade humvee bounced as a revenant landed on it. He sprang on all fours for Jensen and suddenly there was nothing but a headless body. Jensen was wearing his glasses and a hospital mask but he still turned his head from the wet spray that reached his arms.

The humvee swerved again and the body rolled off. Jensen couldn’t spot where Cougar was hiding but he threw out a salute anyway. Jensen didn’t see any more revenants so he bent down and looked inside the vehicle at Pooch.

“You planning on swerving all the way to the store?”

Pooch laughed and swerved again. “It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose. The world goes to hell, the roads are going to be a little fucked up.”

Jensen stood back up and looked around. This part of town seemed deserted but one thing he’d learned in the last nine weeks since life ended as they knew it was this; revenants were sneaky fuckers even if they were brain dead. After they stopped for five seconds to scoop up Cougar from where he’d been stationed, they were out of the congested city with its tall buildings and many hiding places.

Twenty minutes later they were speeding down the highway, deserted cars and burnt out wrecks nothing for Pooch to get past. There was no one around but Jensen figured anyone with sense stayed hidden, not sure if the crazy strangers were more dangerous than the revenants.

Sometimes Jensen still can’t believe the world got fucked up by a plague that killed billions. Then the plague decided hey, let’s reanimate some of these people and send them out with a unquenchable hunger for blood, brains, fuck, let’s make it any body part they can latch onto! That way they get smarter, hold that primal brain together a little longer and infect more.

The fact that Max wasn’t behind the plague had been a relief in the middle of the chaos that rained down on them after civilization went FUBAR. They had no clue if he was even alive since they were mainly focused on not dying, killing lots of revenants, and making sure some scared asshole didn’t kill them. Clay became the Colonel again as he’d led them out of Massachusetts where they’d been visiting Jolene when the everything went to shit.

Jensen had collected his sister and niece as soon as his suspicious, paranoid mind had told him to. Two days later all flights were cancelled but by then they were holed up in an abandoned, McMansion near Pooch and Jolene’s house. They’d had more room to see people or revenants coming. There’d been searches for supplies and more guns and bullets. The team had showcased their talents and came through. Now they were on their way to a different kind of hell, one that used to be crowded full of crazies looking for that rollback deal. Jensen hated that damn smiley face with a passion.

He sat alone in the backseat while Cougar sat up front with Pooch. The sun shone down merrily on abandoned cars and a half burnt McDonalds and a Taco Bell with no windows. It would be jarring if he hadn’t seen other weird shit over the past few weeks. He saw Walmart coming up and hoped they could make this fast. Revenants weren’t the only thing they had to look out for these days.

There was probably some group set up at the store, staking claim on all the contents inside. Jensen figured they could probably use force, but he was not down with killing some scared, desperate civilians.

The parking lot of the super store was a mix of abandoned and wrecked cars, evidence of the total chaos that had happened when the plague turned to something worse. Cougar turned in his seat and climbed into the back. He didn’t say anything as he stood up through the sunroof and used the scope on his rifle to check out the store and surrounding area. Pooch parked near the back edges of the lot.

Cougar’s voice was quiet. “Three on the roof. Four on the ground in front of the doors.” He scanned the other buildings and businesses attached to the giant store, strip mall style. “Five more on the other buildings. Probably more hiding inside.”

Pooch, sighed and turned the car off. They’d need gas soon. This Walmart had gas pumps but with no electricity there was no way to get to it. Jensen cracked his knuckles. “Okay, we trade some shit if they’re willing to deal, including me and Pooch’s technical mojo. We get their gas pumps running again, they‘ll treat us like rock stars.” Jensen didn’t see Cougar roll his eyes but he could feel it. His best friend used eye rolls and smirks like a second language.

They walked slowly up to the building, trying to appear as if they were no threat. The guys in the front had guns that were not pointed at them, for which Jensen was grateful since these guys didn’t look all that skilled. There was a red headed woman in a black tank top and black jeans standing with the guys. She held a gun in her hand as she walked out a little to meet them but not close enough for them to grab her. Now, her? She looked skilled.

“Gentlemen, how can we help you?”

Since Pooch was the one most unlikely to piss someone off just by opening his mouth, he was the designated speaker. “You all doing some bartering?”

Red head’s eyes traveled over him and then over Cougar and Jensen. “What have you got to trade?”

Pooch pulled a small pouch out of his pocket and opened it. The diamond he pulled out was impressive. “We have this and also, we can get your gas pumps working. Be a pretty valuable thing to have. If you’re having any other technical problems we might be able to help with those too.”

A young guy with white-blond hair and a scraggly mustache sneered. “We ain’t letting you near our generators!”

The red head turned and glared at him. He shut his mouth and looked elsewhere.

Pooch shrugged. “I don’t blame you for being cautious, but we’re just three guys. Money isn’t worth anything right now so that’s where the tech skills and the diamond comes in.”

The red head stuck her hand out. “I’m Cassandra.” She turned to the boy that had interrupted earlier. “Go get Cane.”

He left with a mutter and a glare at them that said volumes about how he felt being the gopher. Jensen fidgeted under the stares of the men around them. He was capable of being still but being a little jittery made the guys focus on him and skip Cougar. He wondered if there were any more women around. Not that he wanted to flirt or anything. The man that appeared had red hair cut short in a military style. He looked a lot like Cassandra and Jensen figured they were fraternal twins.

He studied them as hard as Cassandra had, his blue eyes taking in their stance and the brown camouflage clothes they were wearing. His voice was deep and scratchy.

“Let me see.”

Pooch held out the diamond. The man inspected it in the sunlight. He held out a hand and Cassandra handed him a mirror so he could draw the diamond across it. The resulting sound and scratch had him nodding.

“Okay, what are you looking for?”

Pooch pulled out as piece of paper. “Blankets, shirts, socks, pens, batteries, duct tape, bandages. Some box cutters, canned food and sewing needles. Any antibiotic ointment and Tylenol you can spare.”

Jensen tried and succeeded in not snorting. They controlled a fucking Walmart. They could probably spare a lot, though it did depend on how much trading they’d been doing.

Cane put his hands on his hips. “You military?“

Pooch nodded. “Used to be. We were together for a reunion with our team when the plague hit.” They’d all agreed to use that story instead of the truth of them being at Pooch and Jolene’s for a quick visit when the reports of the new virus had started pouring in and everything went to hell.

Cane nodded. “Can you really fix the pumps?”

Pooch smiled and shrugged modestly. “Pretty sure I can. Between me and Jensen, we can fix about anything mechanical or computer related.”

Jensen stepped forward. “Speaking of, if you have any computers, I can get you hooked up to the new version of the internet. Me and some friends have been trying to get as many people connected as we can so we can share info and keep each other updated.”

Cane raised one eyebrow. “Interesting.” He jerked a thumb back into the cavernous, mostly dark store. “Cassandra will show you where we put the computers.”

He pointed at a silent man that had followed him outside. “William will get your stuff. If you want anything not on your list he’ll negotiate it out with you.”

Pooch nodded and sent Jensen a look that said, ‘be careful and watch your back.’

Jensen nodded and glanced at Cougar. One slight nod of his head told the hacker, Cougar would be going with him. The store was dark inside but there were candles everywhere lighting the way to different parts of the store. Jensen had never realized how dark a Walmart was without lights. There were a few people peeking out from blocked or covered aisles.

“Did you all have to clear out any revenants?”

Cassandra looked back at him. “You mean zombies?”

Jensen shrugged and dodged a brown spot on the floor. “Revenants, zombies. We heard they don’t just go for the brain, that any part of the body will help keep them mobile and searching for more.”

Cassandra nodded. “Yeah we saw some on the way here that were ravenous. Once we got here, Cane and I took some out and then a few people that lived close by came out of hiding. Others made their way here and figured a bigger group was better than being on their own.”

The computers were all near the back wall along with the silent huge flat screen TV’s. Jensen pulled open his backpack and tried to smile harmlessly as he pulled out his little sweetheart. He opened her up and tapped in a few commands. He looked around and noticed a few people had followed them from the front. He studied the computer products and picked out a few items. “Any computer you want me to do first?”

Cassandra pointed to five laptops and two net books. “If you can do some of these I can watch and do the rest.” She smiled and winked. “I’m a pretty quick learner.”

Jensen licked his lips and flicked a look at Cougar who was busy watching the people around them. Jensen sat on the floor and Cassandra sat beside him. Someone set a few lamps around them and Jensen chattered about movies and computers and his friends all across the globe that had kind of banded together to salvage info and figure out how to keep the internet going. He got one computer up and moved to the next, his fingers flying across the keys.

“I think it’s vital that we have communication with others so when a cure is found, we can get it to lots of people.”

A woman who was watching them spoke up. “Do you know if people are still getting sick and becoming zombies?”

Jensen shook his head. “I haven‘t heard of any new cases. I mean, all we’ve seen are revenants so we think either the virus is still killing people and making new revenants.” He sighed. “There’s just no way to know for sure at this point.”

Jensen walked Cassandra through setting up the third lap top. He pulled his computer over and asked for her email address. “I’ll send you mine and we can keep in contact. Right now, I’d advise against going into the city. Try to stay where there are less people. Too many hiding spaces and the revenants are learning.”

A tall pale man leaning against a shelf, laughed. “Learning? Learning what?”

Jensen barely spared him a glance. “Learning to not attack right away. They wait and watch. Once it’s too late to get out of the city quickly, they can come pouring out of buildings you swore were empty.

The man laughed again. “I think you just don’t want us going there. Maybe I want my own diamonds too.”

Jensen whipped his head around and stared at the man so fiercely he shut up and took a step back. Jensen stood up and approached him. He pointed a finger at the man but didn’t touch him. “You want to go to the city that’s fine. I’m telling you what’s out there in hopes that if you do make a dumb ass decision you’ll make sure you don’t take kids or anyone else that doesn’t really want to go.”

Jensen turned away and noticed Cougar standing straighter, his eyes focused on the other people around them. He’d keep a look out for any more troublemakers or fools that thought they knew the deal without having seen a man torn to pieces by these things.

Cassandra was studying them both, eyes narrowed as if trying to determine what the truth was. Jensen didn’t blame her. The revenants weren’t the only predators out there. Plenty of people were showing their true natures now and some were shooting first and not giving a fuck about asking questions later.

“Can you take a look at our generators? We got them from the farm Co-op down the street. We only turn on a few lights at night and those we make sure can‘t be seen from any windows.”

Jensen nodded. “Good idea. I don’t think any revenants not already out here will travel here but I could be wrong. A big shining beacon of light is probably not a good idea.”

Jensen followed her. They stopped after entering the big swing doors that divided the store from consumers. She grabbed some flashlights and handed one to him. He followed her around a corner and down a long corridor, both sides lined with huge shelves full of products.

The generators were in a small room that smelled like lumber and the sharp tang of propane. There was a small window built high up on the wall. It was cracked open a little to get some fresh air into the room. Jensen bent down to study the make and model. He was about to ask if he could take the smaller one apart when there was a curse and soft grunt from Cougar. Jensen barely had time to turn before something heavy hit him in the head.

 

~

Jensen woke up to darkness and a pounding headache. His arms were tied behind his back. He snorted. Amateurs. He flexed his wrists and felt the roughness that said standard rope. It was kinda fucked up that he could tell by feel and strength what he was tied up with. He put his head down and carefully shook his glasses off his face.

Once they were in his lap he managed to dump them on the floor and turn sideways so his fingers could reach them. He could hear someone else in the room breathing and he hoped it was Cougar.

He closed his eyes and let one of his fingernails trace the very small sliver of sharpness that was hidden in the part that held his eyeglasses up. The other side held a small lock pick that worked on most handcuffs. The side he needed held a razor that came with a very small rubber nip to prevent him from cutting his fingers up too bad. He’d bleed but not as much.

It took him a few minutes and he dropped the thing once. When he sliced through the last of the rope and broke free, he crawled over to the other person and sighed loudly in relief. It was Cougar. Jensen felt for a pulse. He relaxed when he got one. Jensen grabbed for the gun he knew Cougar kept hidden close to his dick. They’d been watching ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ a few weeks ago and Cougar had nodded at the doomed agent that hid a gun where lots of men were leery to search.

Jensen needed to get out of here with Cougs. They’d dragged Cassandra somewhere and he intended to help her, but this place was too dark and too big to try and risk coming back for Cougar later. He had no idea why the guys hadn’t killed them outright. Maybe they thought someone would come looking for them and the bad guys could trade them? He lightly slapped Cougar’s face then felt around Cougar’s head for any bumps or the wet stickiness that signaled blood. He leaned closer to whisper in Cougar’s ear.

“Come on, babe, we need to get the hell out of here. They took my comm so we gotta go save Pooch because it’s our turn.”

He kissed Cougar on the lips and felt the man stir beneath him and kiss him back. Jensen pulled back and laughed. “I hope you realize I’m going to call you Sleeping Beauty for a long time.”

Cougar shrugged and grabbed the hand, Jensen offered him. Jensen patted him on his shoulder.

“I got your gun. We need to find Cassandra and then get the hell out of dodge. Let the crazy fuckers have their own revolution.”

Cougar nodded and held his hand as Jensen felt along the walls for the door. When he found it, he cracked it open and saw a dim light down one end of a hallway. He followed the light and stopped right before a doorway. He heard someone getting hit, then a voice he recognized as the pale guy from earlier.

“Bitch. I’m going to teach you your place. Once we finish beating on your brother, I’ll drag him in here and make him watch.”

Jensen counted to ten and swung around the doorway. An oil lamp sat on a desk while pale guy was busy unzipping his pants. Cassandra lay on the floor, her hands tied and her face bruised. There were two other guys in the room. Jensen shot them first, then winged pale guy. He moved closer, knowing Cougar was collecting guns and covering the door. He slid his knife out from his boot and sliced the tape that held Cassandra’s wrists together.

Her mouth was a swollen mess and her shirt collar was ripped. Her pants were still on. She watched him while wiping at her mouth. “Thanks.”

Jensen held out his hand and Cougar put a gun in it. He offered it to Cassandra. “Not a problem. You want me to kill him?”

Cassandra’s eyes widened briefly, but she seemed to think about it before shaking her head. “No, me and Cane will deal with him and the rest.” She grabbed some tape off the desk and started to wrap the guy’s wrists, ignoring his whining about the bloody groove Jensen had put in his arm.

“Troy, I think I’m going to grant you and your buddies your fondest wish. A nice road trip to the city. I’m sure there will be some zombies there to show you around.”

She slapped his face lightly before standing and grabbing the oil lamp. She gestured for Jensen and Cougar to follow her. “I don’t know what happened to your friend, but I think I know all the sorry assholes that decided to throw in with this loudmouth piece of shit. We run into them, feel free to shoot them too.”

Jensen laughed. Out in the hallway, she led them back through a door and then another. They didn’t meet anyone. She avoided the double doors that led out to the store and walked down to a single swinging door and slipped through it. Jensen followed with Cougar coming last. They ended up behind some counter with a ‘Layaway’ sign plastered behind them on the wall. They eased down a aisle of shoes and met a woman in what used to be the baby aisle. She was tying a cloth over her thigh. She looked up and relaxed when she saw Cassandra. The red head knelt beside her. “You okay, Maria?”

“Stupid fuckers. They tried to drag my granddaughter away. Stabbed me in the leg.”

Jensen looked around. “Where is she?”

Maria pointed to some big diaper boxes on the upper shelf. “She made a tree house up there a few days ago. After Phil and David ran off, I told her to hide.”

She accepted the gun Cougar handed her and looked at him like he was Santa Claus. His words were brief and made her nod. “She should stay hidden.”

They continued through the store, running into people trying to hide or injured by the men that had decided to try a takeover. They found the young guy that had scowled about the generators earlier. He was dead, his blood a dark puddle on the floor that they stepped around. Another boy lay further down the aisle, a hole in his head. Jensen shook his head and kept going.

Nearer the front of the store, a whisper of something made Jensen look up. He nodded at Cougar to turn on the flashlight they’d found. Pooch spoke before Cougar could hit the ‘on’ button. “Shit, look at you two. Is this a party or what?”

Jensen laughed softly as Pooch jumped down off a shelf that still held some boxes of paper towels. They all bumped fists before Pooch pulled out his gun. “Things got hectic up here and William told me to run for it. I saw some guys drag him and Cane off.”

Cassandra stepped up. “You see where they went?”

Pooch nodded. “One of them said something about the tool aisle.”

They split up, Jensen and Cougar heading one way after Cassandra told them where to go while she and Pooch approached from another way. Halfway to the aisle a man was standing guard. Cougar crept up behind him and put him in a chokehold. The man dropped to the floor. It was quieter than a gunshot and the man would be out for awhile.

“Where did you hide the rest of the guns?”

Jensen took a quick peep around the corner. Two men held Cane’s arms while another stood guard. William was beside him on his stomach, but Jensen couldn’t tell if he was alive. A fourth guy had one of Cane’s fingers placed in something that gleamed ominously in the flashlights and shadows. Jensen looked at Cougar and nodded. They came around the corner and Jensen shot the one man that was just standing there.

One of the men holding Cane got a bullet in his thigh and arm. The other man got one in the shoulder. The last man pushed Cane away and dropped the iron cutter. He turned and ran straight into Cassandra’s fist.

Cane smiled at them as Pooch helped him up. His lips were bruised and bloody. The skin around one of his eyes was already turning black. “Bet you guys will think twice when you hit up the next Walmart won’t you?”

Jensen laughed and checked the pulse of an unconscious William. “Damn right we will.”

The next hour was spent helping Cane and Cassandra root out the rest of the people that had switched sides. Then he and Pooch got the gas pumps running. By the time they gave Cassandra and Maria a quick maintenance lesson it was dark.

Cassandra watched Cougar and Pooch load stuff into the humvee. “Will you be okay driving at night?”

Jensen shrugged. “Should be. What are you and your brother going to do with those guys?”

Cassandra wiped sweat off her forehead. She looked bruised but stubborn. “Blindfold them and take them somewhere far enough where it’ll be hard for them to return. Nothing says they won’t be able to find their way back here but if they do, we’ll shoot on sight.”

Jensen figured it was as good a plan as anything. “Well, it was fun and we hate to shoot and run, but it’s time we head out.”

Cassandra gave him a hug and Cane shook all their hands before Jensen hopped in the back seat. Cane waved wearily and said. “Come back if you want to trade again.”

Jensen laughed. “We just might.”

Pooch drove off, dodging cars in the road. They weren’t planning on trying to go far but they’d had a brief discussion about wanting to get away from the unknown people in case another coup tried to happen. Pooch told them he’d seen a few places a couple of miles away that looked okay for the night.

An hour later they were settling down in the upper floor of a three story apartment complex. They could see anyone coming long before they’d get to the building. Jensen looked through the things they had and picked out some bread and tuna since he didn’t want to risk trying to build and maintain a fire that wouldn’t spread to the other apartments. The whole place looked deserted but there was always a chance someone was hiding very well or coming back.

They each would take four hours of guard duty and then Jensen would drive for awhile when the sun rose. Barring too many revenant related complications they should make it back to the house by sundown tomorrow. Jensen knew Pooch was eager to see Jolene and baby Thomas. Jensen was eager to see his niece.

Cougar had first watch and Jensen pulled out his laptop and found a Wi-fi signal. He loved geeks and their ability to roll with the fucking punches. He imagined the guys now in charge of the various data centers were pretty well stocked. All those rumors he used to hear about their apocalypse parties meant they’d been more prepared than anyone.

Jensen surfed the net for a while before unplugging and taking a nap. Cougar shook him when it was his turn. Jensen checked his watch. It was 3:00 a.m. He used water from his canteen to wash his face and walked the perimeter they’d set up. He woke up Cougar and Pooch at 6 a.m. and they headed out, back to base, otherwise known as home.

~

Jensen cracked open one eye as the humvee dipped and bumped along the rocky and torn up driveway. Over the past few weeks, the up and down rhythm was one he’d gotten used to and come to love. The house came into view, dark red brick and gleaming white columns. It looked like something out of ‘Gone with the Wind.’ The main thing they all loved about it? The cleared land around it that let them see someone coming from about a half a mile. Also, the fact that there were two lower levels, lots of rooms, and a garage that made Pooch drool helped.

Clay came out to greet them and took note of the bruises.

“Good times were had?”

Jensen laughed and watched Pooch and Jolene hug, little baby Thomas between them. “Yes, sir.”

They pulled into the garage where a tall, dark haired man smiled at them and started helping them with the unloading. He shook his head at their injuries.

“What happened? Someone not appreciate Jensen’s witticisms?”

Pooch laughed while Jensen gave Anderson the middle finger. Xavier Anderson had joined them in Virginia after he’d tracked them for two days before making himself known. He was a big, silent man who’d lost his two brothers to the plague’s first visit. They never asked if his family had stayed dead. He was dependable and had a small crush on Jensen’s sister, Linda.

Jensen figured he didn’t need to say anything because his little sister was awesome and could take care of herself. And Cougar told him to stay out of it until something actually happened then they could talk to the man together. Jensen accused Cougar of looking forward to threatening someone. They told Clay more details about their adventure with the recommendation that it would be okay to return.

Jensen went in search of his niece. He found her up in the attic. The house they’d commandeered was pretty big and so was the attic. She was reading a book and he smiled at her before pulling out his surprise. He’d grabbed five minutes after the chaos yesterday to hit up the superstore’s reading section. He’d taken a bunch of puzzle magazines and books.

“Mackenzie?”

His niece turned and smiled at him, getting up from her coloring and giving him a hug. He sat down with her and gave her the bag. “Got you some books. I didn’t know what you liked, so I tried to get a big selection.”

He smoothed a hand over her head as she looked over the books. She hadn’t spoken much since they’d been caught in an attack outside of Springfield.

 _They’d all been tired and while they were used to running on nothing but adrenaline, that too had eventually faded. Jensen tensed just as ten revenants had appeared around them. He saw one reach for Mackenzie as if in slow motion; gnarled dirty hand with torn and jagged fingernails crusted with blood and other things. She’d screamed, one of surprise and fear and her eyes had met his. Then instead of slow motion, it became a blur._

 _They knew headshots to the brain was the only way to kill these new creatures but Jensen picked up the machete he’d found two towns back and started swinging. The machete got caught in the third one’s neck and only pulled out with a wet sucking sound. By then, the other revenants were down and his sister had a grip on Mackenzie but she’d forgotten to shield her eyes from her favorite and only uncle going off the deep end._

 

Back then they hadn’t been sure if the virus was still spreading or not and everyone watched Jensen and Mackenzie to see if they got sick. They didn’t, but Mackenzie hadn’t been the same.

For awhile she’d been scared of him and it’d broken his heart. He’d given her space and was relieved that in about a week she crawled into his lap and let him hold her. Her words became fewer and fewer until she just stopped. He and Linda discussed it when Mackenzie was asleep. They knew there wasn’t much they could do. Kids dealt with tragedy in their own way and this was some fucked up shit to be going through.

Jensen stayed up on the attic for an hour, coloring and making up stories about the people and animals he colored. He talked to Mackenzie the whole time, hoping she‘d respond.

Later, Clay pulled everyone together and told them he and Aisha were going out the next morning. Their main objective would be finding food. Winter would be here before they knew it and they had to be prepared. Jensen thought that the winter would finish off the revenants. They were cunning but would they know enough to get out of the snow? How would that effect their hunting if everyone was inside trying to stay warm?

After almost everyone was asleep and the perimeter alarms set, Jensen made his way to his room, a kerosene lamp leading the way. They had generators but they only ran them for a limited time at night. His room used to be a giant closet. He’d cleared out clothes and the closet organizer and it was big enough for a full size mattress. Pooch helped him make an escape hatch that led to the attic just in case.

Hell, these days they were all paranoid and didn’t question each others instincts. Cougar was already in bed. Jensen knew he wasn’t asleep. Even before the end of life as they knew it, Cougar didn’t sleep much. Now, he usually waited for Jensen to show up.

Jensen got undressed quickly and slipped in between the sheets. Cougar pulled him closer to kiss him goodnight but the kiss turned into another and another until Jensen laughed softly and crawled on top of his best friend. Cougar’s hands were warm, and he used his fingernails to lightly scratch Jensen’s back which made Jensen moan and press down harder onto the body beneath him.

Cougar really raised the stakes when those same hands carded through Jensen’s hair, pulling on the strands a little before holding his head still. He never thought about why Cougar might need to hold on a little too tightly, or why he himself wanted to be held tighter and tighter but they both wanted what the other could give them, now more so than ever. They fit and that’s all that mattered. Jensen sucked a bruise onto Cougar’s neck before whispering all the filthy things he had planned into his lover’s ear. Cougar laughed softly and it made Jensen’s breath catch. He loved this man beyond anything he ever thought capable. Later, after a few demonstrations of all the filthy things, Jensen laid a hand on Cougar’s chest and let himself fall asleep with the thump of Cougar’s heartbeat beneath his fingers.

 

The next morning, Jensen got up and fixed breakfast for himself and Mackenzie. Linda was still asleep but Mackenzie smiled at him and ate her oatmeal. When she went up to the attic, Jensen checked on his sister. She slept in a room next to what they called their clinic. She’d stocked it and requested things each time someone went on a supply run. Being an emergency room nurse gave her a lot of knowledge, and he knew he was more than lucky that she’d been on vacation for a week when the plague broke out.

Jensen heard a car approach and got up from the kitchen table and checked the front drive. The long driveway leading up to the house gave them time to see anyone coming. The car was unfamiliar and he hit the speaker button on the intercom system built into almost every room in the house.

“Got company coming in a car.”

He grabbed a sawed off shotgun from the hall closet and headed for the front door. Clay and Aisha were already gone and not due back until that night. Pooch was down in the sub basement. The intercom system clicked once and that was Cougar telling him he was headed for the roof.

Four men spilled out of the car and headed for the house, guns already out. Jensen opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. The men stopped and studied him while one of them stepped closer.

“Morning.”

Jensen nodded and held the sawed off loosely in one hand. “Morning. Something I can help you gentlemen with?”

The lead guy had black hair, a beer gut, and a smile that was so fake he shouldn’t have even bothered. “We’re just looking to trade.”

Jensen pretended to consider this. “What do you have to trade?”

This question seemed to stump all four men giving proof that they’d been coming to take, not exchange. The leader moved closer. “Back at our camp we got some meth, some cigarettes. We’re looking for some food, some liquor.”

Jensen sighed and shook his head. “You’re out of luck, fellas.”

Two of the guys were trying to move to the sides and flank him. Jensen pulled out the gun he had tucked in the back of his jeans and aimed it at the man on his right. He kept the shotgun on the leader. The man on the left snorted and inched closer. The lead guy smiled a nasty smile. “Unless you got another hand, you can’t cover us all.”

A bullet hit the ground right in front of the uncovered man. He jumped back with a shout.

Jensen smirked. “I don’t need another hand. Now you all can get back in your car and head out, or we can have a gunfight, then me and my friends will bury you somewhere nice after we cut your heads off.”

The leader snarled and backed up, his men following him while the man that had almost been shot looked around, clearly spooked. Jensen watched them drive off and exhaled. That was the first group of people they’d seen since they‘d moved in.

There was scrape of a shoe on the veranda above him, then Cougar climbed down and stood beside him, his rifle slung over his back. Jensen moved closer and bumped his shoulder against Cougar’s.

“Think they’ll be back?”

Cougar nodded. “As long as they think we have something they deserve, they will keep coming back.” Cougar watched him tuck the Smith and Wesson back into the waist of his jeans. “We should kill them if they come back.”

Jensen shrugged. It sounded cold but Cougar was right. Anyone that thought the revenants were the worse thing about this fucked up world wasn’t running into many people. Civilization had broken down so people had done the same.

Jensen spent a few hours with Pooch, helping dig a tunnel that would eventually come out into the woods that surrounded the back of the house.

 

Dinner that night was pretty good. Aisha and Clay had found a farm and scooped up some abandoned animals. Jensen refrained from asking which one of them had killed the chickens. He just enjoyed the food and laughed at Aisha’s story of Clay running from a pissed off bull. Aisha’s voice was full of gleeful joy as she described the situation.

“Then he took off his jacket and this seemed to make the bull even madder! It was if the bull hated that bright white shirt. He made this horrible noise and started chasing Clay again while Clay screamed like a little child.”

Everyone laughed at the grumpy expression on Clay’s face though he did smile a little and shake his head.

“Yeah, but I had the last laugh. Now he’s out there by himself with not even the chickens to keep him company.”

Jensen chuckled and sipped some wine. They had some tequila and some other liquor but they saved that for the truly good days or the spectacularly bad ones. After dinner, Jensen offered to hook up the projector so they could all watch a movie in the big bonus room. They ended up watching some old Abbot and Costello movies. Jensen fell asleep and woke up just as the movie ended. Cougar was running a hand through his hair and Jensen tried to covertly wipe the drool away, though by the way Cougar was smirking told him he wasn’t that successful.

Jensen got online later and discovered that one of the groups he belonged to was arguing about the need to restructure some hardware or the damage would cascade into a domino effect and knock out communications for most of Eastern Seaboard. Not everyone was aware the internet was limping along and with so many still missing or/and dead it might be awhile until someone discovered the problem. The building was 75 miles from Jensen‘s location. He responded that he could get it done and he’d let them know when he got to the place.

He downloaded three possible routes with switchbacks and other roads connected to those. Later, Jensen told Cougar and both decided it would be an all day job, possibly an overnighter. It depended on how many obstacles there were between them and the building. Lunch time brought more discussion as Clay said there were some things in that area he wanted to check out. Jensen spent the rest of the day helping his sister out and talking to his niece. He even got a smile out of her and he promised he’d bring her back some more books.

The next morning it was him and Cougar, Clay, Aisha, and Pooch. Jensen was used to saying good-bye to his sister and the rest of their friends by now. It had been awhile since his team had all been out together. On the way, they saw signs of people but never saw actual people. They could search but it would probably end with guns being pulled on them.

They took a break for lunch and ate it quickly. The revenants showed up just as Jensen swallowed his last piece of sandwich. There were 20 of them, ragged clothes, eyes empty and glazed over. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Clay and Aisha start firing on one side while Pooch and Cougar took the opposite side. That left Jensen to take of the revenants coming down the middle. The crack of gunfire was loud, but he ignored it and took out revenant after revenant.

He looked at Cougar for a moment and then had to swiftly duck as a revenant took a swing at him, hands curled up like claws. Jensen shot that one in the knees before going for the vital headshot. Just as quickly as it had started, the threat was over and there were twenty bodies lying around them.

Jensen and the rest reloaded and packed up anything they’d left out that was still viable and got back in the car. Four hours later they reached their destination. Clay and Aisha explored the surrounding area while Jensen, Cougar, and Pooch broke into the building. It only took Jensen an hour to find the problem, then another hour to fix it. He emailed his tech friends and recommended someone be placed here permanently.

Before he finished updating some stuff, a few people had volunteered. With the main problem fixed, Jensen relaxed. He found Cougar and Pooch in the lobby and they joked around a little before heading out to find Clay and Aisha.

The gunshots were the first thing that let them know where they needed to go. They screeched to a halt as Cougar fired his gun and Jensen shot from the passenger side of the truck. The revenants were vicious and determined. Out of the corner of his eye, Jensen saw Cougar jump off the top of the truck, then a revenant was right there in Jensen’s face so he got back to killing zombies while his friends handled their part.

Jensen didn’t know if there were more this time than earlier, all he could do was dodge and shoot and aim for the head. He ducked and rolled and shot another one, this one younger than the rest. Jensen blocked it from his mind and kept going. Soon, the shooting died off and the revenants were permanently dead. He’d never actually seen a revenant retreat. They all waited a few minutes to see if any more showed up. He could hear Aisha muttering something, while Pooch was checking the truck.

At first, Jensen didn’t know what he was staring at. He was bent over, resting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath when drops of blood appeared on the ground in front of him. He slowly looked up and there stood Cougar, a hand over the bite mark on his arm.

The world stopped and Jensen read the worry and fear in his lover’s eyes. Clay and Aisha stood behind Cougar and Jensen knew by the looks on their faces they’d seen the bite too. Clay’s eyes were sad but determined. Cougar just kept looking at him like he knew Jensen was about to tilt over a cliff into madness.

“Ha sido un viaje divertido.” #It’s been a fun ride.#

Jensen found himself on his knees, no clue how he’d gotten there, his earlier lunch decorating the cracked asphalt. Clay was talking to Cougar, his voice low and regretful. Pooch had joined them at some point and he stood next to Aisha. He looked like he was in pain, while Aisha had the threat of death in her eyes. Jensen wiped his mouth and watched Clay approach him.

Clay bent down, one hand on Jensen’s shoulder. His voice was deep but soft. “Jensen, Cougar and I are going to go for a walk. You need to…you need to say goodbye.”

Jensen shook his head and closed his eyes. No fucking way.

Clay continued talking. “We don’t know how fast it’s going to spread. You should say something now.”

Clay stepped back as Jensen stood up. He looked at his friends and smiled. It was a small smile but it confused them enough to give him time to aim his M9 at Pooch and Aisha. He pulled his second favorite gun, a Smith and Wesson that had once belonged to a crafty Honduran General, and aimed it at Clay.

Jensen met Cougar’s eyes but responded to the Colonel. “I can’t do that, boss.” He pulled the trigger and Aisha barely flinched at the bullet that hit the ground in front of her. “Don’t move because if I shoot you, it won’t be in your arm.”

Cougar stood halfway between Jensen and Aisha and Pooch. Clay was next to Cougar. Jensen gestured at his former commander. “Move over there with them and everyone put your guns down.”

Pooch put his down first. “Jay, man, look…”

Jensen shook his head and cut him off. “What if it was Jolene? Or Thomas?” He licked his lips and talked fast. He knew the people he worked with and they’d try something sooner rather than later. “There’s been some rumors out there of a cure. The CDC isn’t far from here or a hospital, something. I have to try.”

Cougar shifted and gripped his bloody arm harder. “Jake.”

Jensen snarled. “No! No! You don’t get a choice, Cougs! You don’t. You have something of mine and I can’t get it back, even if I wanted to, so you shut up and listen to your super genius boyfriend.” Jensen’s face was wet, but he didn’t care. He whispered, “Please, I gotta try.”

Cougar sighed and nodded his head, giving permission for whatever Jensen decided to do. Jensen started walking backwards. “Follow me.”

A few feet away, Clay called out. “What if you can’t find a cure?”

Jensen paused and looked at the only commander he’d ever respected. “Then we don’t come back.” He looked at Pooch. “Take care of Mackenzie and Linda for me.”

Pooch nodded, his eyes suspiciously bright. Aisha nodded at him, respect for his decision in her eyes. Jensen kept walking until he turned a corner. He wanted to grab Cougar’s hand and pull him along, but they’d determined early on that touching an infected person was not a good idea.

It took him an hour, but he found a car with enough gas. Cougar didn’t say anything through the search and Jensen appreciated it. Once they were on the road and away from the rest of the team, Jensen spoke.

“I know you don’t agree but if I don’t try, then I might as well just put a bullet in my brain. I love you and I think we can beat this. My medic training means I‘m ahead of the game and I wasn‘t just blowing smoke about that cure. There‘s this one doctor, cool Russian guy and he‘s close. Last time I talked to him he said he was ready to start testing soon.”

He was talking too much, trying to convince not just Cougar but himself. After a few miles Jensen pulled over and called up the info he had saved. There was a clinic fifteen miles away that hopefully still had what he needed.

~

Jensen dodged the wrecked and abandoned cars around them, looked out for revenants, and tried to make sure his friends were not following. When he pulled up, the clinic was locked up tight. It took Jensen less than three minutes to break in. Inside there were MRI machines, X-ray machines and best of all, a hematology lab.

Jensen was in no way a doctor but he’d been studying up on the cause and effect of viruses. He’d read everything he could find on disease, past plagues, possible plagues, and this one that had finally taken down most of the human race. They didn’t even know how many people were dead, but it was enough to throw the entire globe into chaos.

He’d joined in online forums with the doctors and scientists that were left. He’d read the arguments and agreements and memorized their theories and possible conclusions. Two weeks ago a few doctors had stated that a recently changed revenant could be changed back to a fully functioning human but it had to start with the blood.

Inside the building, Cougar looked around before sitting down in the waiting room. Jensen went to the lab and checked the equipment. There was a generator like he’d gambled that there would be. It would save him time since he didn’t have to go out and find one and hook it up. He got to work familiarizing himself with the machines and the data they produced.

There was a timer in his head and each tick of the clock took Cougar further away from him. He knew that in order to save his partner he’d have to cut corners. Jensen went back to the waiting room. Cougar was still sitting there quiet and docile. Usually Cougar was quite but he’d never been docile. Jensen started to talk.

“I figure sleep and food are going to be small issues. I have a list of stuff I need from you once this machine is initialized.”

Jensen finished exploring the clinic and found a room with an observational window. It also had a lock though he didn’t know if it would hold Cougar. It all depended on how fast and how deep the virus affected him. He checked the ‘net to see if any new information was out there on healing someone with a bite.

He posted his problem to three different message boards and ignored the immediate advice to kill his partner. Some were blunt, others were sympathetic, but none had what he needed. He figured the doctors would chime in later, but he couldn’t wait. He tracked down what he considered the top ten people who knew what they were talking about and emailed them.

Two hours later, Jensen came out of research mode and tracked down Cougar. He was in the same room dozing uncomfortably in the chairs. Jensen could tell without even touching him that he had a fever. He was pale too and Jensen had to bite his bottom lip hard to keep from crying. Jensen got closer, one gloved hand on Cougar’s shoulder woke his lover up with is usual quickness. Jensen smiled. “Hey, I need some blood and heh, a urine sample. Too bad it’s not a sperm sample, huh?”

Cougar grimaced at his bad joke and got up. He followed where Jensen led and Jensen got what the needed. Jensen showed Cougar the room he’d picked out. He’d dragged a couch, and a hospital bed into the room to try and give Cougar options. He’d also found a net book. He’d downloaded some of Cougar’s favorite movies onto it to give the sniper something to occupy his time.

Jensen got to work after finding some cereal and granola bars in the small kitchen. The fridge was off but the water and soft drinks stored in the closet were okay. There was also a large crate of instant soup and he wondered if someone had been planning on coming back to hide. He put the unknown people out of his mind and concentrated on Cougar’s blood and urine samples. He wasn’t sure he needed the urine one but he’d got it just in case.

It didn’t take him long to realize he needed something to compare and contrast Cougar’s samples with. So Jensen drew his own blood and pissed in a cup. At another point in time he might have laughed about it. He started the test that would detect any anomalies in their blood.

Later that night, he pulled out his laptop and turned it on, there was a big blinking email notification button. He reluctantly opened the email he knew was from his sister. The message said two things; ’How can I help?’ and ’You and Cougar better come back.’

Jensen smiled at the message, something in his chest squeezing tight at the thought of leaving his sister and niece alone in this new harsher world, but he knew his team and just like he’d die for them, they’d die for his family. His sister had every right to be angry at him for choosing Cougar, but for him it hadn’t been a choice.

Everything in him that made him Jake Jensen saw no other choice unless he’d wanted to wait until one of the others killed Cougar. Then Jensen would have just killed himself. This way they had a chance. It was a small sliver of chance but they were Losers and it was enough.

He emailed his sister the information he’d gathered and went to check the machines. A few were almost ready, so he went to check on Cougar. Through the window, he watched Cougar sleep, his face solemn and peaceful under the ever present hat. As much as Jensen wanted to go in and climb in that bed he had to stay sharp and more importantly, not get infected. After this was all over he’d strip Cougar down and they’d spend a weekend somewhere doing very kinky things to each other.

Jensen worked through the night, trying to decipher the information he was given and when he didn’t understand, turning to the computer. He had two medical dictionaries open and chats going on with three different specialists, one that spoke only Russian. After all the negative bullshit thrown at him, he finally typed in giant letters, IF YOU ARE NOT HERE TO HELP, GET THE FUCK OUT. That helped a little and bonus, it made him feel better. A loud thump brought Jensen out of his haze. He grabbed his gun and made his way to Cougar’s room.

The room looked okay and Cougar was lying on the couch, his hat over his face. Jensen knocked on the window and tried not to react when Cougar lifted the hat up. His lips were redder, his eyes sunken into his skull and his hair a dry, brittle mess. Jensen pressed his lips together, despair and determination at battle in his brain. He touched the glass as if it could transfer his warmth to Cougar. Cougar stared at him for a few more minutes before he lowered the hat.

Jensen returned to the lab and tried to concentrate and get the picture of Cougar’s deteriorating look out of his mind. An hour later he poured soup down his throat and staggered to one of the chairs in the lab for a nap. He set the alarm for two hours and closed his eyes.

The alarm went off and Jensen checked to see if he’d set it wrong but no, it’d been two hours. He checked tests and the results gave him a distant quiver of hope. His blood contained something Cougar’s was missing, something that all the plague victims had lost before they turned into carnivorous cannibals.

The Russian doctor who’s research he was working from had mentioned this, so Jensen tried to email him. He didn’t get a response right away so he asked some other scientists about his theory. They were cautious but slowly agreed it could work, maybe, possibly. He knew they were trying, especially when a Dr. Munson sent him an email.

**Give me background on your partner. Any dietary or medical problems. How about his family? I want Food allergies, favorite foods, what’s he’s been eating since this shitstorm started months ago, then give me the same for you and all your friends.***

Jensen cracked his knuckles and gave the man a rundown of what he knew about Cougar, then his friends and their family history and eating habits. He saved himself for last.

**What good will this do?**

Dr. Munson’s email pinged back at him merrily. **It can’t hurt.**

 

Two hours later Jensen got a reply from the Russian doctor. He yawned and scratched his scalp while reading the email. Dr. Utinov’s instructions looked like a cake recipe. One part this and two parts that, sift and combine before injecting into your boyfriend. It was a desperate last move, one that he took after knocking Cougar out with a tazer and tying him down. Afterwards Jensen prayed like he hadn’t prayed in a very long time. He set up an IV for fluids since he suspected Cougar might be a little dehydrated.

An hour after the first injection, Cougar opened his eyes and screamed. Jensen hugged himself tightly, fingers digging into his skin and blood welling up in crescent shaped marks as Cougar struggled and jerked against the bonds that held him down. He’d never wanted anything more than to run in and hold Cougar. But he had to stay out here and observe like a good little scientist.

Jensen was pissed at himself for doing this to Cougar, at Cougar for getting bit, and at the person, the scientist, who made this shit. He’d always known those fuckers were creepy. Did some doctor do what he was doing right now before the plague had gotten out, put it in someone and recorded the effects? He shook his head. There was no use thinking about that. He’d go back and change it all if he could but he couldn’t.

He just wanted to save one man and even if it hurt Cougar, he’d do what was needed. Dr. Utinov theorized that at least two more shots would be needed. Jensen had agreed to give him progress reports.

Once Cougar stopped moving, Jensen watched and sighed in relief at the small movement of the sniper’s chest as it rose and fell. He didn’t trust his judgment but his lover did look better.

Since knowing Cougar’s state of mind was part of the treatment he needed to ask Cougar some questions, so he hung around outside the room until his lover’s eyelids fluttered open.

Jensen opened the door and stood in the doorway for a moment before cautiously moving closer to take blood pressure readings. Cougar was tied down but they’d all seen how strong revenants could be. He listened to heart and lungs with a stethoscope and got more blood. He had no clue what it should show, but he’d run it through the machines.

“Hey. How do you feel?”

Cougar seemed to think about it. Then he shrugged. “Better.”

Jensen laughed. “Any urge to feast on my brains and fantastic body?”

The joke fell flat because as soon as the question was out of his mouth, Cougar only stared, something like desire flickering in his eyes. All Jensen could think was this was the way a wolf looked at sheep or a lion looked at a gazelle; seeing nothing but meat and bone, something made to satiate him and screw the rest.

He slammed the door to the room closed and sat down outside of it. His heart was beating fast and he was scared. Not that Cougar would suddenly attack him, but that they couldn’t beat this thing, that in the end he’d have to decide between killing Cougar and getting back to the others, or killing Cougar and then killing himself.

Jensen finally stood up and looked at Cougar through the window. He was asleep and it didn’t look like he’d tried to break the straps that held him down. That was different and Jensen held on to that. The other revenants were like wild animals, only appearing less crazed right after eating. Then they looked almost human, some having a remnant of cunning in their gaze.

Jensen reported the effects to the group of doctors all awaiting his results. He gave them all the information he had so far. If this failed, maybe it would still help the researchers. He had no illusions, not anymore, that there was only the slimmest of chances that he would cure Cougar or even if the cure worked that the side effects wouldn’t damage Cougar some other way.

A second injection went like the first, with Cougar having no reaction at first and then once it was really in his system, moaning and tossing back and forth. It seemed less of a shock to his system than the first batch. He was on his way back to the lab when Cougar opened his eyes and stared at him. Jensen frowned. He looked good but again, his judgment was not the best one to determine that. He’d wait a bit and take more readings.

The next set of readings showed the same numbers for blood pressure, and heart and lungs still sounded great.

There were several theories circulating that the stronger zombies were becoming something less mindless. Like he’d told that dumb ass at Walmart, they were evolving, the ones that survived becoming more aware and smarter than just running full out towards the nearest human. People argued that the zombies would eventually die, others said the slower ones would, but the others that consumed the most would survive, either needing less food or more. Jensen agreed with the smart zombie concept just because as far fetched as it seemed, the human body and mind were funny things.

After he emailed his findings, he kept his despair to himself. He was sure the other people all around the world didn’t see this as working but the steps had to be taken to get to an actual cure.

The soft beeping of an alarm woke Jensen up. He turned off the alarm and prepared the final syringe for Cougar. Dr. U’s little suggested cocktail program was almost over.

Cougar was awake when Jensen entered the room. He studied Jensen as Jensen studied him back. Skin color was back to normal. Hair didn’t look as bad as it had. Eyes no longer sunken into the skin. Lips were chapped but no longer some scary red color.

Jensen gestured at the water bottle he carried. “Want some water?”

Cougar nodded and didn’t make a fuss as Jensen held it up to his lips. Neither one of them mentioned that Jensen shouldn’t be that close to Cougar’s mouth. After he drank his fill, Cougar nodded at the awaiting needle. Jensen injected him and smiled with what he hoped was confidence. “This is the last one. Dr. Utinov thinks this will work. It’s been refined from a few other treatments he and some other doctors tried.”

Jensen wiped the injected spot with alcohol and patted Cougar’s arm. “I’m going to check a few more things then come back and watch some movies with you if you feel up to it, okay?”

He loved the way Cougar smiled at him, relief and worry mixed up together. Jensen imagined he must have the same look on his own face.

Jensen looked over previous results and typed up his conclusions which mostly consisted of what he thought was happening. He paused to think about something and in minutes he was asleep.

~

In thirty minutes Jensen was ready to watch some movies. He’d even found some microwave popcorn packs squirreled away in someone’s desk drawer. Before opening the door he looked through the observation window out of habit. His stomach clenched in fear at seeing the bed turned over and no sign of Cougar. His hands shook as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Cougar’s body was under the bed, one of the straps that held him down, broken. He was on his stomach and his body was shivering. Jensen pulled him over onto his back and winced at the blood that poured out of Cougar’s eyes, nose and mouth. Just as Jensen tried to feel his head for a fever, Cougar’s back arched and he screamed while blood sprayed out of his mouth.

Jensen tried to comfort him but didn’t know what to do but keep holding on. He used the stethoscope that had become an accessory to check Cougar’s heart. It beat fast and steady and Cougar showed no signs of skin degradation, something that every revenant had in common.

Jensen wiped at the blood and dodged a flying fist. It looked involuntary and Jensen hoped this was some type of flushing of Cougar’s system and not death throws. He knew Dr. U’s treatment wasn’t a 100% or even 50% but it was the closest to a cure.

Cougar’s body stopped struggling and Jensen sobbed. The other man wasn’t breathing and Jensen wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. He kept holding Cougar and didn’t let go. When Cougar gasped and inhaled, Jensen let go, not knowing if this was really Cougar or a revenant. He’d watched reports on the way they got back up after seeming dead and this didn’t look like those people.

Cougar rolled a few feet away and coughed. Then he coughed again and wiped at the blood on his face. Then he looked at Jensen and gave him the barest hint of a smile.

Jensen scooted closer.

“How do you feel?”

Cougar wiped his sticky, bloody hand on his pants though there was too much around them for that to actually work. He shrugged. “Normal.”

Jensen checked his heart and blood pressure again. His heart sounded good while his blood pressure was up a little but nothing alarming. He stood up and offered a hand to Cougar who took it after a moment. He let go of Cougar’s hand and headed for the door, eager to report his findings to Dr. Utinov and the others.

Something made him turn around.

Cougar’s teeth looked sharp like broken glass and his fingers ended in jagged fingernails. Jensen managed to duck the first swipe but the second one got him on the chest, blood immediately welling up to spill and drip onto the floor. Jensen got to the door but stopped. The Cougar in front of him wasn’t his Cougar. He let the thing come closer, its growls almost hypnotizing. A bony finger wiped a tear from his cheek before a burning sensation flashed across his throat. Jensen grabbed his own neck but he knew it was a fatal cut, blood rushing over his hands faster and faster while the thing wearing Cougar’s face watched.

Jensen sank to the floor and the last thing he saw was Cougar’s face closing in, teeth ready to rip him apart.

 

~

Jensen sat up in his chair so quickly it tilted over, spilling him onto the floor. His own gurgling groan had woken him up from that very realistic nightmare. He scrubbed at his face with his hands and was glad no one was around to see him check his throat. He grabbed the clipboard he’d been using and saw his notes about the third injection. So that part had happened. He checked the time and saw that he’d been asleep for three hours.

Looking in on Cougar, Jensen breathed a sigh of relief. There was no overturned bed and no blood and no Cougar ready to kill him. Through the window he watched Cougar sleep. His lover looked restful for the first time since he’d been bitten.

After a few minutes, Jensen opened the door and checked Cougar’s heart and blood pressure and tried to forget his dream. He nudged and patted Cougar’s arm until the man woke up and looked at him. Jensen held up a cup. “Guess what?”

Cougar’s groan and heartfelt curse made Jensen laugh. He took the blood with the quickness and care of an expert. Cougar didn’t need help to the bathroom so Jensen stayed in the room and waited. Once he had what he needed, he headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a bit. Sorry about earlier, I fell asleep.”

“I did too. Felt good.”

Jensen put the machines to work analyzing Cougar’s blood and urine and nervously waited for the results. He hoped they looked more like his blood and urine. Something similar with the absence of whatever it was that made Cougar’s body crave blood and other things.

He left the machines doing what they did and went back to sit with Cougar. They watched ‘Rear Window,’ and talked about Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. Near the beginning of ‘To Catch a Thief,’ Jensen looked over at Cougar to mention how hot Cary Grant had been but the words never made it past his lips.

Cougar was asleep and he looked so peaceful and healthy that the overwhelming doubt he’d carried since he’d pulled his gun on his friends began to dissipate. Jensen knew it would hurt to feel this way then lose Cougar but it’s been their life for so long anyway. He could lose this, his everything, so easily in a thousand different ways.

This plague was just another thing for them to beat like all the other adversaries they’d met and defeated. They were always the underdogs, the ones labeled ‘freak’ or ‘different,’ ‘hard to control,’ a bunch of losers.

There was another label people forgot, another way to describe them that people didn‘t realize; survivors. You could argue their methods, the things they’d seen and wish they hadn’t, the pain and scrabble to keep breathing but they’d done it, one breath at a time, more times than any of them could count. They were still here and that meant there was a chance.

Jensen felt his eyelids grow heavy and struggle to get up and go check on the tests, see if Dr. Utinov had emailed him. Something inside him told him to just lay there and enjoy the warmth of Cougar’s body and it’d all work out in the wash. The voice sounded like Kenny Rogers and Jensen was okay with that.

 

This time when Jensen woke up, he didn’t remember his dreams, but he felt good. Cougar was still asleep and Jensen decided to take a quick sink bath in the bathroom. Water was a precious, precious thing these days so he only used two bottles of the case he’d found with the rest of the supplies.

There were eight emails waiting on him. Two from his sister wanting a progress report and one from the Colonel. He gave Linda a quick update and then emailed Clay. He kept that one short too. He apologized for the whole gun thing and told him everything was going good, that Cougar wasn’t feverish or deteriorating physically. He got an instant reply from the Colonel which read, ‘Don’t have sex with him yet.‘

Jensen was tempted to point out that he wasn’t the one that used to regularly date people that wanted to kill him, but he didn’t send that email. He typed it, but didn’t send it. He was going to take the high road and be smug about it by himself.

He studied the lab results and sent them off to the various doctors. They looked promising from all that he’d learned over the past few days and the past few months.

It wasn’t until Noon, right after he got Cougar to eat some Ramen noodles that Dr. U sent him an email. Jensen barely kept from jumping up and down as Dr. U gave him his long distance consult that in his opinion, Cougar was cured. Every plague victim had either died permanently by now or changed to a revenant.

Cougar’s blood work differed from the first sample and Dr. U named something with sixteen letters as being the main differing component. He did advise they stay at the clinic for at least another week and that Jensen continue to monitor Cougar daily during that time, with blood work in another two days to see if it remained similar.

Jensen stopped dancing long enough to fire off another email agreeing to the terms and forwarding the doc’s last email to Clay and his sister. Then he danced around some more as he went to tell Cougar the very good news.

Cougar smiled when Jensen burst in and delivered the verdict. There was a look on his face that spoke volumes. It said that Jensen was amazing and the best thing in the world. Then Cougar said, “I can barely believe it. Thank you.”

Jensen kissed Cougar on the cheek briefly before standing back up to punch the air in victory. “We kicked this virus’s ass, man! It picked the wrong cowboy slash sniper slash ex soldier to fuck with! And the wrong genius slash hacker slash boyfriend of previously mentioned sniper.”

Jensen jumped up on the bed with Cougar and slung an arm around his shoulders. “You know what this means, right?”

Cougar smirked and shook his head. Jensen smiled. “Sex in seven days man! If all goes well, I plan to strip naked, strip you naked, and then let you fuck me until I can’t speak. We’ll call it a stamina and endurance test.”

Cougar laughed out loud and Jensen hugged him tighter, determined that since they’d made it through this, they’d make it through the rest that life was ready to throw at them. With the information he’d sent to various doctors it was possible a cure could be found and some semblance of civilization could be restored.

He’d seen the worst of mankind before the plague and afterwards not much had surprised him, but that didn’t mean he wanted his niece to grow up with all this mess. He wondered how long it would take him to convince Clay they needed a giant fence so they could turn their house and acreage into a compound. They were bound to find more people eventually. They could make a village! Then make it bigger. Jensen told Cougar his ideas and his belief that at some point in the future he would get to create a city and name it ‘Loserville.’

 

End


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